1. Field
The present invention relates generally to determining an affiliation of a client to a media distribution system, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus in a media broadcast system for supporting enforcement of blackout, retune and enforcement of roaming fees for a client in the system.
2. Background
As 3G and other cellular networks are deployed, new IP packet data based services are emerging. One of the most challenging service areas operators are seeking to exploit involves the distribution of video content to the mass market. High-quality video is the most data-intensive type of content. At the same time, consumer experience with current home viewing options presents operators and content providers with target markets that hold established ideas about what the user experience should be. The combination of consumer expectations and mobility present fundamental challenges to network operators and content providers. In summary, attractive business models, network control and management, access control, device capabilities and a compelling user experience combine to present a complex of interdependent challenges that have not been fully resolved in the wireless industry.
Currently, national cable programmers such as ESPN, which offers live event programming, are often subject to contracts that define blackout areas that are usually associated with the home market(s) of the team(s). In these geographical areas, the rights to the games may have been sold to a regional network, ad hoc network, or a pay per view service. In order to support these contractual obligations the cable programmer offers alternate programming during the blackout. The satellite receiver at the cable head end makes the replacement programming available. The programmer uses an in-band protocol from the cable programmer's head end to controls the retune process.
Blackout refers to the exclusion of national programming for the geographical area that is excluded from an otherwise national programming distribution of a specific service. A feed refers to a specific multiplex of channels. Under this definition the wide area operation infrastructure (WOI) may create multiple “feeds” that support specific geographic areas. A retune feed contains alternate programming for a blacked out region. A national media broadcast service is predicated on the availability of wide area services such as CNN and or ESPN that are distributed over large portions of the country in a single format. This allows overlapping signal coverage of adjacent service areas to add constructively. A necessary condition for this feature to function properly is that the “national” programming is bit and symbol exact at the physical layer as transmitted from all adjacent service areas. This, in turn, requires the decrypted programming keys and key streams to be identical.
However, the presence of a retune event causes a service to no longer match the wide area feed. This changes the character of the retuned service to be more similar to a local feed. Local feeds, by definition, are different in adjacent local area operation infrastructure (LOI) service areas, and interfere with the local programming from other LOI service areas. These “local services” will likely have independent program keys, and key streams.
An apparatus and method for an LOI is the collection of equipment and software that is required to support a single designated market area. The location control of the satellite retune system can be quite fine (e.g., one ZIP code). A media broadcast system is expected to operate on a LOI by LOI basis. This may be acceptable to cable programmers, since LOI(s) are nominally per market.
Affiliation is when a client is within or mostly within the coverage area of an individual LOI that is affiliated with that LOI. A “home” LOI is where each client has a single LOI defined as its base LOI. It is nominally linked to physical location of the area code and or billing address of client.
Ad replacement, blackout and retune (substitution) programming, and subscription are all position sensitive service features. If a client is in the service area for which one of these mechanisms applies, it should be impacted. For example, if the client is outside its home LOI, service may be shut off, or additional subscription required. However, the determination of when the client is “outside” of its home LOI is a non-trivial matter.
What is desirable is methods and apparatus system for supporting enforcement of blackout, retune and enforcement of subscription restrictions for a client in a media broadcast system.